Noah gamely gave it a go

After spraining ankle severely, Bulls center did all in his power to keep playing

May 05, 2012|By K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune reporter

PHILADELPHIA — The sight of Joakim Noah tossing in one more "Tornado" jumper and then barely being able to run back on defense will linger, a snapshot of a proud, tough-minded player giving his all.

But Noah's 2 minute, 6 second, fourth-quarter stint in Friday night's loss to the 76ers also raised questions. Specifically: Did Noah's re-entry make the sprained left ankle that has him doubtful for Sunday's Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals even worse?

"He thought he could go," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Sometimes you can get through it. Obviously he was struggling."

To recap: Noah suffered the gruesome injury on a fast break with 7:57 left in the third. He writhed on the floor for several minutes but limped off under his own power and could be seen doing jumping exercises during the ensuing timeout.

Noah knocked down both free throws after the timeout but tweaked the ankle again on the following defensive possession as he tried to slide and rotate. Noah hobbled his way through five more possessions, even assisting on a Richard Hamilton jumper.

But Noah purposely fouled Evan Turner, who powered through for a three-point play, at the 6:46 mark so he could exit. That's 71 seconds after the injury.

At this point, Noah retreated to the locker room, presumably to have his ankle examined and re-taped. The media relations staff relayed to reporters that Noah's return was questionable.

Then, Noah returned at the 10:05 mark of the fourth. With the Bulls making the medical and training staffs off limits to reporters afterward, Thibodeau detailed the decision-making process.

"He twisted his ankle," Thibodeau said. "Then he has to be cleared by (athletic trainer Fred Tedeschi). If Fred clears him, then we give it a go. Of course he has to want to play. If he feels he's able to play and shows Fred he can play or thinks he can give it a shot, then you do so. If not, then you don't.

"I'm relying on Fred. The game is going on. I ask him if he can go or not go. That's usually how it works."

Thibodeau confirmed the team should have fouled away from the ball to allow the clearly laboring Noah to exit earlier than his 2:05 stint.

"We have guys who play with a lot of injuries," Luol Deng said. "Jo tried to give it a go to see where it's at. Everyone could see it. He was having a hard time."

So hard that his mother had to help him up some lobby stairs on his crutches to attend a team film session Saturday, another lingering image from a difficult weekend.